Did Homecoming 2011 beat Homecoming 2010?

By: Erica Walker

Tuscarora students prepare to party at this year’s homecoming (Photo Credit: Dominic Gavan)
LEESBURG, VA- The clock strikes 12’o clock at the time of the young teenagers’ departure from a night that they will never forget. The young adults will long to replay the music, the attire, and the dancing in their minds and the event will continue to be shown in their memories. Was this night real or was it just a dream in the mist of reality?
A dream? No, it was the second annual homecoming at Tuscarora High School which took place on Saturday, October 15th, 2011. This eventful evening was the night after the Varsity Football team made their dreams a reality by once again winning the homecoming game. Needless to say, spirits were high and the Huskies were ready to dance the night away. However, school spirit didn’t show right away. Some students claim they didn’t even know what the themes were this year. Sophomore Kylie Fleming adds, “Most people didn’t go all out. They just kind of did the bare minimum, but I guess more people started going all out towards the end of the week.” However, junior Melissa Brooks believes that more people dressed up this year than last year. “[I dressed up] because it shows good school spirit,” claims Melissa.
One difference noticed by students and teachers was that spirit week was shorter than last year due to Monday being a student holiday. Another significant difference at this year’s homecoming was the appearance of Tuscarora’s first ever freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior class homecoming court.
As soon as the students walked in the doors of the school, they noticed right away the transformation of the gym and halls in the form of decorations. Kylie Fleming concurs, “This year’s homecoming was better because of the decorations and the food.” Speaking of food, the cafeteria was filled table by table with treats such as cupcakes, cookies, and a wide selection of drinks provided by volunteers at the dance.  “This year’s homecoming was better because we had a better DJ,” Melissa states. However, she thought last year’s theme was better based on school spirit week.
A key element to the dance is the music played by the DJ. Sophomore Joshua Middleton suggests that the music this year was “too old” compared to last year, when he thought the music “was more up to date.”  Sophomore Vanessa Aziz believed the music was okay compared to what she was used to at her old school. “The DJ would bring people onto the stage and they would have dance offs,” claims Vanessa.  Such music provided at the dance was mostly popular hits involved “Teach Me How to Dougie” and the classic “Electric Slide.”  However, this year, homecoming did not include a slow song in mist of the dance.
The night was dismissed at 11:07, leaving students to end a fairytale evening either at home or out with their friends.